‘No more worker visas for commercial truck drivers,’ declares Trump admin after Florida crash involving Indian

The US will stop issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

Announcing the move on Thursday in a post on X, Rubio said the change was effective immediately.

“Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio posted.

This decision comes on the heels of a deadly accident on 12 August in St. Lucie County, Florida, where at least three people were killed after a semi-truck made an illegal U-turn on a highway.

Also Read: Illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh accused of fatal Florida crash charged with three counts of vehicular homicide

The driver, identified as Harjinder Singh, was of Indian origin and, according to the Donald Trump administration, an illegal immigrant. Singh, who reportedly crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018, had obtained a commercial driver’s licence in California. A law passed in California in 2013 allows residents to get a driver’s licence regardless of their immigration status.

The Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into the crash. Top Republican figures, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have seized on the incident to intensify their political rivalry with California Governor Gavin Newsom.

This comes on the heels of ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to tighten immigration regulations for commercial vehicle drivers.

Also Read: After Florida crash kills 3, Trump administration says Indian-origin trucker was in US illegally

In May, the Department of Transportation stated it would increase enforcement of an English language requirement for drivers, following an executive order issued by Donald Trump in April.

Since Trump’s inauguration, the State Department has revoked more than twice as many visas compared to the same period in 2024, an official revealed, as the White House seeks to highlight its crackdown on foreign nationals it claims pose risks to public safety, Bloomberg reported.

The decision comes at a challenging time for the trucking industry, which continues to struggle with attracting and retaining drivers due to the demanding nature of the job. According to the American Trucking Associations, the industry is still recovering from a shortage that peaked at 78,800 drivers in 2022, according to the report.

So far, in the 2025 budget year, 1,490 H-2B visas for truckers were issued. Last year, the government issued 1,400 such visas.

(With inputs from agencies)